Adding-machine.



P. A. CLARK.

ADDING MACHINE.

MHLICATION FILED JUNE l2. I916.

1 ,245,437, Patented Nov. 6, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

P. CLARK.

ADDING MACHINE. V AEPLLCATION man juuz 12. mm

1 245,437 Patented Nov. 6, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

FIELE.

(III/III FIB.E..

WITNESSES PAUL A. CLARK, OF ROCHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA.

ADDING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 6, 191 '7.

Application filed June 12, 1916. Serial No. 103,233.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL A. CLARK, residing at Rochester, in the countyof "Beaver and State of Pennsylvania, acitizen of the United States,have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements inAdding-Machines, of which improvements the following is a specification.

My invention relates to'improvements inadding machines. It isillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows theinstrument in plan, viewed from above; Fig. 2 is a View in verticalsection, the plane of section being indicated by the line II II, Fig. 1;Figs. 3 and 4 are views of one of the superposed plates, in which theinstrument essentially consists'the multiple registering plate,detachedfrom other parts. Fig. 3 shows this plate in side elevation; Fig. 4shows it in plan, viewed from beneath, Fig. 5 is a view. in plan of aportion of the instrument, certain parts being for the sake ofsimplicity in illustration omitted and others broken away in part. Itshows the third, fourth and fifth of the fivesuperposed platespreferably employed. In this figure the fourth and fifth plates arebroken away to shown in sz'tu the driving mechanism which the thirdplate carries. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the first and second platessuperposed; stated in a difierent way it is a view in horizontalsection, on the line VI-VI Fig. 2, the second plate-the unit-registeringplatebe ing broken away in part, to'show the operating member with whichthe first plate is provided. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view in verticalsection on the cylindrical surface indicated bythe curved line VIIVII,Fig. 5; and Fig. 8 is a similar view on the plane indicated by the lineVIIIVIII, F1g. 5. In these two Figs. 7 and 8, all five of the superposedplates are shown; in defining therefore what these figures show, thereferences to Fig. 5 will serve to indicate the particular places whenthe sections are taken, but it will be understood that the sections aresections of the completed instrument, rather than of the portion onlywhich Fig. 5 really shows. Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view in verticalsection of a portion of the third plate and of, the operating partswhich are preferably added to these are a bottom plate below thelowermost and a top plate above the uppermost of the three alreadymentioned as essential; and these two additional plates are rigid withrespect to the intermediate of the three plates first mentioned. That istosay, the two ropary plates turn, one of them between the bottom plateand the third or intermediate plate and the other between the plate lastnamed and the top plate. The plates are preferably all of them diskshaped, concentrically placed, and the rotary plates rotate on a centralaxis, common to both. The edges of the plates are arranged forregistration, and to that end the disks are preferably of diminishingsize, from the bottom to the iteferring to Figs. 1 and 2 the five platesare indicated, beginning at the bottom, 1, 2,

3, 4, and 5. As is particularly shown in Fig. 2, the bottom plate isprovided with a central stepped stub 6, to the step of which plate 3 isrigidly secured by screws, to the top of which plate 5 is rigidlysecured by screws, and upon the cylindrical portions of Ivlvhlich theplates 2 and 4 turn, as upon a Instrumentalities are provided,cotirdinating the two rotary plates in their movement, and causing theupper one 4 (which I shall characterize as the multiple-registeringplate) to make an advance of one predetermined interval in rotation, inresponse to one complete rotation of the lower rotary plate 2 (theunit-registering plate). These instrumentalities consist of a rack borneby the multiple-registering plate 4, a dog borne by the intermediateplate 3, and a dog-swinging trip borne by the unit-registering plate 2.

The rack with which the multiple-registering plate 4 is provided is bestshown in Figs. 3 and 4; its teeth are indicated by the numeral 7, andthe position of the rack in the. assembled instrument will be foundclearly shown in Figs. 2 and 8; it is a circular "rack, concentric withthe axis of rotation of the instrument.

The dog 8 is pivoted in the intermediate plate 3'; it is shown in planin Fig. 5, and in section in Figs. 7, 8, and 9. This dog 8 is providedwith a flexible end 9 which, in the assembled instrument, normallyextends into one or another of the spaces between the teeth 7 of therack which the multipleregistering plate 4 bears. When the dog is swungin one direction'this end 9, bearing against the vertical face of one ofthe teeth 7, causes plate 4 to turn on its hub; when the dog is swung inopposite direction, the end 9 of the dog engaging the inclined face ofone of the teeth 7 is bent aside, it passes over the tooth, and entersthe next space to rearward. Normally the dog 8 is held by a spring 10with its outer end 9 in its extreme advanced position bearing againstthe vertical face of one of the teeth 7; from this position it is swung(by instrumentalities to be described) to cause the flexible end 9 topass rearward over the inclined face of the next succeeding tooth, and(after passing the apex of that tooth) to spring by its own elasticityto position rearward of the vertical face of the next tooth. When thenthe dog is released and swings again inresponse to the tension of spring10, the dog, bearing against the vertical face of the tooth newlyengaged, drives the plate 4 forward through the predeterminedinterval-which is the intervalat which the teeth succeed one another. Inorder to cause the instrument to operate smoothly and accurately andwithout jar, the spring-impelled swing of the dog 8 may be limited andcushioned by the pneumatic cushioning device best shown in Figs. 5 and 9and consisting of a cylinder 12 with a cushioning piston 13, whichmembers are connected one to the late 4, the other to the dog 8. Theirmo e of operation is apparent. An orifice 14 in the cylinder will by itsposition determine the point in the spring-impelled swing of dog 8 atwhich the-cushioning device will begin to be effective.

The dog-swinging trip borne by the unitreg'isteringplate 2 consists of astud 15 which, as plate 2 turns on its hub, will alternately be extendedinto dog-engaging position. and retracted from such position. Thearrangement is such that on each rotation of plate 2 the stud 15 willadvance and swing the dog 8, with the result that plate 4 will rotatethrough one predetermined interval-the interval at which the teeth areset in succession. I

As shown in Fig. 2 the instrument is com I pact, the plates beingsuperposed in immediatecontact, one upon another. As shown 1n Figs. 5and 8, dog 8 1s mounted in a for insuring the periodic extension and retraction of stud 15. The means shown are these; The stud 15 is providedwith an enlarged head and is inserted in a hole in disk 2, countersunkfrom beneath. The underlying plate 1 is provided in its upper face witha groove 19concentric with t e axis of rotation of plate 2, registeringwith the countersunk hole in disk 2, and of suitable size to receive theenlarged head of stud 15. Normally the head of stud 15 rests in thisgroove, being caused to rest there either by gravity or (if preferred)by a spring 20 surrounding the stud and bearing agamst the shoulder ofthe countersink above and against the enlarged head of the stud below.When in its normal position the stud is retracted in disk 2, out ofdog-engaging position. The continuity of groove 19 in plate 1 isinterrupted by a block 21 (see particularly Figs. 6 and 7). This blockhas one face inclined and the other face abrupt.

As the plate 2 is turned on plate 1, the head of stud 15, on thecompletion of each rotation, rides up the inclined face of block 21, andthereafter as turning continues dro s across the abrupt face, and in'sodoing t e pin is first caused to protrude into dog-engagingposition andthereafter to retract from such position. Proper coiirdination of partsbrings it about that the stud 15, advancing on the inclined face ofblock 21, engages and swings dog 8. As dog 8 so swings, its elastic end9 moves over the inclined forward face of a tooth 7 of the rack whichplate 4 carries until, passin the tip, it springs to rearward of thetoot v Stud 15 then passing beyond block 21 in the further turning ofplate-2 descends in front of the abrupt forward face of the block,releasing dog 8-fro1n engagement. Dog 8 then released from stud -15swings in response to the tension of spring 10, and as dog 8 so swingsplate 4 is carried forward, and the extent of swing is such that plate 4advances through a space exactly equal'to the space interval at whichteeth 7 are set.

Figs. 5, 7, and 8 show stud 15 engaging dog 8 from th rear and, in thefurther movement. of .p ate 2 clockwise, about to swing dog 8, againstthe tension of spring 10; Fig.-

6 shows'stud 15 in position after passing block 21, resting in groove 19in plate 1.'

It will be understood that in coming to this position stud 15 hasreleased dog 8 from engagement previously made, allowing it to swingunder tension of spring 10 to the position shown in Fig. 5. In suchswinging of dog 8, plate 4 is advanced one interval: in this instanceone one-hundredth of a complete rotation.

It will be observed that plate 4 is advanced, not directly by theadvance of plate 2, but indirectly, and is actually driven by thetension of a spring. This feature, together with the positive andcushioned stop provided for the swing of dog 8 when released from stud15, insures accuracy in the gradual advance of plate 4.

The other features of the instrument are old and well known. Theperiphery of plate 2 is provided with a succession of holes 22. Plate 1,preferably present as has been said, is conveniently provided with acorresponding scale. Plate 1 is further provided with a stop 23. Plate 2is further provided with a succession of numbers, which succession isoverlaid by plate 3, but plate 3 is provided with a hole or holes 24through which successive numbers may be read as they come to registerwith the holes. Thus integers and fractions, or decimals, to which plate2 is scaled and with which 1t is marked, may be read.

In like manner plate 4 is provided with a series of holes 25, and acorresponding series of numbers (the numbers being overlaid by plate 5)plate 3 is conveniently provided with a corresponding scale and with astop 27; and plate 5 with a reading hole 26.

The particular instrument shown is designed to add feet and inches. Tothis end plate 2 is provided with 192 evenly spaced holes about itsperiphery and with corresponding numerals (to register with holes 24 inplate 3) indicating inches and sixteenths of inches, and plate 1 isprovided with a corresponding scale. The ratchet teeth which plate 4bears are one hundred in number; there is a corresponding succession ofevenly spaced holes around the margin of plate 4, and a correspondingseries of numbers, from 1 to 99, arranged to pass beneath the hole 26 inplate 5. It will of course be understood that proper coordination ofholes and of ratchet teeth and a corresponding marking of scale numberswill adapt the instrument for adding integers and fractions of anydesired relative dimensions: for example,

pounds, shillings, and pence; hundred weights, pounds, and ounces; ormerely the numbers of a decimal system.

The operation of the instrument when in use will readily be understood.At the outset the instrument stands at zero: that is to say, disks 2 and4 are turned until the reading through holes 24 and 26 is zero. The userhas to add a succession of measurements in feet and inches. Supposethese to be three inches and a. half, seven inches and five eighths andfour inches and three sixteenths. The user takes a pointed pencil orother pointed instrument, inserts it in that hole in the margin of theunit-recording disk 2 opposite which he finds the reading on the scaleon the margin of plate 1 of 3% inches. He then turns the disk 2 inclockwise direction until the pencil or other turning instrument strikesstop 23. He will then find that looking through holes 24 in disk 3 hecan read the amount he has so recorded, 3% inches. He then sets hispointed instrument in the hole in the margin of disk 2 opposite which hefinds on the scale his second item, 7% inches, and again he turns disk 2until again his instrument abuts against stop 23. He will then find, ifhe stops to look, that through holes 24 he may read the sum of his firsttwo items, 11%- inches. Proceeding as before he adds the next item, 4inches. Now however, as he moves disk 2, he completes one revolution ofthat disk, and in doing so he brings stud 15 into engagement with dog 8,swings dog 8, and then (stud 15 falling away) releases dog 8 again. Inthis operation disk 4 is turned and numeral 1 on disk 4 brought to viewthrough the hole 26 in disk 5.

At the same time the recording effected by disk 2 goes on as before, andwhen the user has brought his instrument a third time to abut againststop 23, he will find legible through the three reading holes his sumtotal, 1 foot 3% inches. So an indefinite succession of measurements maybe added together, to the limit of the capacity of the machine, and thatis as will be apparent, 99 feet 11 inches and fifteen sixteenths. Theaddition of one sixteenth of an inch to this total will bring thereading again to zero.

If one of the items to be totaled is a foot or more, the user firstplaces his instrument in the hole in the multiple-recording disk 4opposite which he finds, on the margin of disk 3, the number of the feetin his item. He then turns disk 4 clockwise, until his instrumentstrikes stop 27 In this operation it will be understood that theflexible end 9 of dog 8 will yield, allowing the teeth 7 of the ratchetto pass over it without itself being disturbed. Then, having so recordedthe feet, the operator records-the inches, in the manner alreadydescribed. He may of course, if he desires to do so, record the inchesfirst and then the feet.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an addlng machine the combination of three superposed plates ofwhich the uppermost and the lowermost are, with respect to theintermediate plate, rotary upon a common axis, the uppermost of saidplates being provided with a circular rack concen-' trio with the axisof rotation, the intermediate plate being provided with a swinging rackengaging dog, and the lowermost with a stud extensible and retractableto and from dog-engaging position assaid plate rotates on its axis.

2. In an adding machine the combination of four superposed plates ofwhich the second and fourth are, with respect to the others, rotary upona common axis, the fourth of said plates being provided with a rack,

the third with a swinging rack-engaging my hand.

PAUL A. CLARK. Witnesses:

ALICE A. TRILL,

BAYARD H. CHRIs'rY.

